Life, Loss, and Puffins

A Novel

By: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Narrated by: Jess Nahikian

An exhilarating and emotional novel about grief, hope, friendship, and taking life one beautiful and spontaneous day at a time by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Freakishly smart. That’s the unwelcome box Ru Evans is put into for life. After all, she taught herself Euclidean geometry at age seven, has an eidetic memory, and is about to enter college at thirteen years old.

Boarding at a house near campus 150 miles from home, Ru meets seventeen-year-old Gabriel, an outsider himself who, like Ru, has trouble making friends—until they form a fast sibling-like bond. Finding a relatable someone in the world to talk to is a first for both of them.

But when Ru’s mother dies and the threat of living with her miserable aunt looms, Ru hatches an escape. It’s an impulsive road trip that takes Ru and Gabriel from California to Canada, where Ru can fulfill her ultimate dream: to see Atlantic puffins in the glorious wild.

Mile by mile, Ru discovers the joy of friendship, found family, dark night skies, and the aurora borealis, and she basks in going from being a smart person to just a person. Though she knows they’ll be in trouble when they’re caught, for the short time they are navigating twist by twist of an unknown road, the freedom is liberating, and she is living for what feels like the first time.

©2024 by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Trustee, or Successor Trustee, of the Catherine Ryan Hyde Revocable Trust created under that certain declaration dated September 27, 1999 (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Hyde writes a deeply compelling novel about teenagers finding their way in the world, even if their paths look a bit different than usual. Fans of Ethan Joella's A Quiet Life, Mary Alice Monroe's The Summer Guests, and Hazel Prior's Ellie and the Harpmaker will appreciate Hyde's deft handling of Ru's complex gift and the novel's heartwarming, character-driven charm.” —Booklist

“While there are adult characters in this book, it's the children who state the universal truths that Hyde wants to share with readers. And they do it beautifully and compellingly.” —Bookreporter

A lovely inspirational story and the reader was excellent!

A coming-of-age story that was totally engaging. Great character development with endearing qualities.

Great Story

Made me think about what we have. Life is a blessing. Ru reminds me of my son.

wonderful story of love, loss, and finding yourself

I started the audiobook and found the narrator a bit off putting with the way that she read the main character Ru. The story was slow to develop but gradually pulled me in until I could not stop reading it. I switched to the Kindle edition and finished it within a few hours. I really loved Ru and Gabriel's relationship, and how their friendship developed so deeply over a short period of time. And I loved the little twist at the end.

Fantastic... as usual!

You can never go wrong with Catherine Ryan Hyde. She tugs at your emotions each and every time. This one was so unique and a little different than her usual. I loved the story of following your dreams and bucket list items. The narration was so superb. Made listing to this even better. She did such a fantastic job between male and female and it was just so enjoyable.

Dreaming big

I liked how the characters were not afraid to try new things They had a great adventure

Outstanding as usual

I can’t say enough good things about this book. I have read almost every book she has written and have never been disappointed. With each book I wish the story would last forever!

feel-good read!

Catherine Ryan Hyde is reliably feel-good. I loved this book. But, I have to admit, in the first few minutes of the narration, I wondered if I had inadvertently sped up the reading speed. I soon realized that the main character, Ru, is a squeaky, fast-speaking 13 year old. Considering that the narrator was covering all ages, types and accents, she can be forgiven for squeaking Ru (and really, that's what Ru was doing sometimes, squeaking!). The description of the Northern lights dancing was one that will stay with me always. She is just a very good writer, who picks interesting human-interest experiences, and takes us all with her as her characters go through their lives. You won't love all of the characters in this one (and you aren't meant to), but they were all very human and you could even empathize with them even if you didn't like them. I definitely recommend both this book and this author.

Interesting story about learning life

You've got a bit of an unrealistic storyline that sucks you in. These two kids take off on an adventure - and how everyone buys their story (or doesn't, but leaves them be) is a little bit of suspended disbelief, especially in today's day and age. You also wonder how the kids are so naive as to some of the ways of the world (i.e. how do you not know you can be tracked by your cell phone), particularly when they are supposed to be smart. Those two points made, the story is heartwarming and I do think the narrator did a good job (I saw the reviews claiming she didn't). To me, her voice fit the main character well, I think the book wrapped up a little too abruptly and weirdly - I can't provide more commentary without going into spoilers. It would be nice to get a sequel, but I'm unsure how that could happen with the very end either.

Very difficult to listen tom

The narator is so difficult to listen to.The characters voices are so oddly terrible I just can't bring myself to finish it. I'll probably read the print version to find out what happens.

This was the most enjoyable book I’ve listened to in a long time. WOW. The story and characters were intriguing.

I loved this book from beginning to end. I loved the characters and their experiences. The book is awesome and so worth your time. I highly recommend it.